


Between

by Silverkleptofox



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Keith whump, Needles, Season 2 spoilers, Team as Family, Whump, episode-typical racism, tag to episode 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 07:41:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9427307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverkleptofox/pseuds/Silverkleptofox
Summary: Between the biggest revelation of his life and his whole world changing, there is no time for Keith to rest and recover.His teammates make sure he does anyway.Tag to Season 2 Episode 8.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place directly after the end of season 2, episode 8, during the 'three hours' that were skipped over between then and the next episode.
> 
> Spoilers ahead.
> 
> Having personally been through something similar to the Trials of Marmora, no-one walks away from that completely fine and ready to go on another mission.  
> I felt this scene was missing from the canon so I wrote it. Enjoy.

"We need to start _now_."

As soon as those words left Kolivan's lips, Keith felt his world shift. His eyes unfocused, rolling back into his skull in exhaustion. After fighting for nearly ten hours, he had no time to rest before donning his paladin armor and heading back to the palace. 

He had been holding himself together with the expectation of being able to rest once he got back to the palace, and with those hopes dashed, his body simply gave out on him.

His legs trembled as he pitched forward.

Luckily Shiro had been keeping a wary eye on his teammate and rushed forward to keep Keith's head from cracking against the hard floor for the second time that day. 

"What's wrong with him!?" Allura shouted accusingly at Kolivan and his escort, Antok, worry coloring her tone.

Antok spoke first. "He has been through the trials of Marmora and survived." 

"What?" Allura cried, "Shiro, what is he talking about? What have they done to my paladin?!"

Shiro took a deep breath. "It's... complicated, princess. It's not my place to tell." 

Keith groaned in Shiro's arms, his eyes fluttering open. Quickly, he scrambled to try and stand, leaning on Shiro until he got his footing. 

"Keith, please tell us what happened." The princess demanded regally, striding forward to be near the red paladin. 

Keith glanced over at the Galra visitors, seeming to ask permission. Kolivan nodded. Keith reached behind him and pulled out his knife, now unbound.

The Alteans gasped collectively as the three remaining Paladins looked on in confusion and worry.

"I've had this since I was a child," Keith began, "I had no idea where it came from. When we entered the Marmora base, I discovered it was one of their blades- belonging only to members of their society. They wouldn't let me leave with it unless I proved I was worthy according to their traditions."

Coran nodded, while Allura flushed with well-controlled anger. "And what do these _traditions_ entail, Kolivan? What have you done to my paladin?" She asked.

It was Keith tho responded. "I had to fight... a lot. For a long time. I had to awaken the blade or die trying."

"And as you can see," Kolivan added, "your paladin is alive. He succeeded in his trials. Yet I am curious as to how- only one with Galra blood can awaken a Marmora blade."

Allura stepped back from Keith, her eyes wide. Keith glanced up at her, pleading, then to Kolivan, who had revealed his secret. He could feel Shiro's grip on him tighten protectively as Allura spoke.

"Keith... are you..."

"I didn't know!" The red paladin shouted, "I didn't know who my mother was, I had no idea... I swear... I'm still... I'm still me..." he trailed off, wincing at the strain shouting had placed on his cracked ribs. 

"We will see." Allura said, quietly and definitely, her eyes cold.

"Come on," Shiro said quietly to his team, "let's get you patched up while _these guys_..." he nodded towards the Alteans and their Galra visitors "... discuss our plans."

Silently, Shiro helped Keith exit the brig with the rest of his team in their wake.

\-------

Keith tried to veer right towards their personal quarters but Shiro under no uncertain circumstances led him left toward the med bay instead. 

He eased the red paladin to sit on the bench as Lance rifled through the various medical supplies they had on hand and Hunk helped unbuckle his armor. 

"Guys, I can take care of myself." Keith said as he tried to bat away Hunk's hands. "It's just some bruising, I'll be fine."

"Keith, you passed out. Twice." Shiro said, brushing away black hair to check the brushing on his temple. "Besides, we're your family out here. Nothing is going to change that. Let us help you." 

Keith let out the all anger he was holding and slumped on the bench. 

"Okay." He muttered. Shiro placed a hand on his good shoulder and moved to let Hunk finish. 

Keith hissed as Hunk peeled away his undersuit from the still-bleeding wound on his shoulder.

The cut went from the crook of his neck halfway down his chest, raw, red, and bloody. The fabric of the suit had melded with the drying blood and removing the suit had ripped bits of it back open. 

"Oh god, that's... that's nasty." Hunk mumbled as he handed Keith a wad of gauze to press to the wound and brought his hand to his mouth. "Pidge, can you get this? I gotta hurl."

Keith gritted his teeth, putting pressure on his collarbone with his left hand as Pidge took Hunk's place to help bare the red paladin's chest. 

"Stop, stop... stop." Keith hissed as Pidge pulled the suit off his right arm. She raised her eyebrow and waited for him to continue. "Just... give me a minute." He breathed. 

Shiro kneeled down next to the pair. "You were clutching that arm earlier." He said, concerned, "How bad?" 

Keith looked at the black paladin silently, sweat glistening on his brow. 

Shiro twisted his lip. "Pidge, check for sprain and dislocation, gently please." 

The green paladin gently pressed at Keith's shoulder, manipulating the joint until he hissed in pain and bit back a cry. "It's definitely sprained." Pidge said with a sigh. "And there's heavy bruising on his elbow too, we need something to reduce the swelling." 

That's when Lance popped up from the nearby cabinets. "I think I found something!" He said, holding up a clear container of a blue liquid. He tossed it to Pidge.

"Huh." She said as she adjusted her glasses, reading the Altean label. "This should work. It's a painkiller and swelling reducer- basically a liquid ice pack. It needs to be injected, though. Lance, are there any syringes in there?" 

"Let me check!" He responded.

 _Pidge, you're needed on the brig immediately._ came Coran's voice from over the loudspeaker. The green paladin sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "Let me know when he's okay, Shiro?" She asked as she stood and went to the doorway. 

Shiro nodded. Keith mumbled "I can speak for myself..."

"Aha!" Lance cried, rushing over. "We've got syringes for that blue stuff, bandages, some sort of topical goop that I think is a painkiller, and what I think are magic space-stitches."

"Why don't we just use a healing pod?" Keith groaned.

Both Lance and Shiro shook their heads. 

"You don't want that, bro." Lance said.

Shiro nodded. "It's for life-threatening injuries only. You're beat up, and exhausted, but you'll live. If you used healing pod now, it might not work for you on a more serious injury later."

Keith tipped his head back and groaned petulantly. "Fine. Just do what you have to."

Lance nodded and prepped the syringe as Shiro figured out what to do with the stitches. Slowly, he pressed the point of the needle into the joint of Keith's arm and pressed the plunger. 

Instantly, Keith felt the cool, numbing relief of Altean space-magic replace the aching, burning pain of a shoulder that had been wrenched and worked much to hard in the past ten hours. He couldn't help but sigh in relief. He was so blissed out in the moment that he hardly noticed when Lance gave his swollen, blackened elbow the same treatment. 

"Remind me to set up a bath with Epsom salts for you, you know, when the next mission is over." Lance said as he maneuvered Keith's arm into a makeshift sling. 

"... maybe." Keith muttered, adjusting the sling. He would just have to remove it when Allura decided their next mission, whenever that was, but for now he supposed it couldn't hurt. 

Shiro gently grabbed Keith's left leg and undid his boot. "What are you..?" Keith began before Shiro cut him off with a look. 

"You've been limping since before the trials." He said. "I saw how that agent took you down to get your knife, your ankle is badly bruised if not sprained." 

Keith winced as the boot was removed.

Shiro's raised an eyebrow as if to say _see?_ Keith tipped his head black, exasperated. Lance came over with his armful of supplies to give Shiro a bandage to wrap Keith's ankle. 

Hunk re-appeared at that time. "Sorry, Keith." He said, sitting next to his teammate. 

"Hunk, are you good?" Shiro asked, his voice tense, as he settled on the bench in front of Keith. 

Hunk nodded, gulping. 

"Good. Keith, I'm not sure about this stuff but it looks like the best we've got. It might hurt, it might not. Hunk- I want you to hold him still, just in case."

"Got it boss." Hunk replied with a nod. He situated himself behind Keith and gently pulled the red paladin against his broad chest, bracing him there with large hands on Keith's upper arms. 

Shiro leaned forward, focusing on the gash in Keith's shoulder. They looked like a cross between staples and butterfly bandages, made of a strange light blue plastic-like material. Lance stood by patiently, holding other supplies. 

Carefully, Shiro placed one of the pieces near the end of the wound. Instantly, it adhered to Keith's flesh and anchored, gently pulling the two sides of the wound together. Keith leaned his head back onto Hunk's shoulder and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, trying to maintain his composure although it obviously hurt. 

"Y'know, I always thought Lance would be the one to bring the hot alien home." Hunk said, trying to distract his teammate. "Never imagined we already had a hot alien on our team!"

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Lance said playfully. Keith chuckled low in his throat before Shiro placed the next suture.

"You know it doesn't matter what blood runs through these veins, Keith." Shiro said, carefully positioning the alien technology. "You're still you, you're our teammate and our friend. No sudden revelation if something that's always been there is going to change that." 

Keith locked eyes with Shiro, his expression unreadable, before he turned away. 

The black paladin twisted his lip and returned to his ministrations. 

Slowly, Lance handed Shiro space-stitches as he applied them to the wound. Keith clenched his jaw and kept breathing. Piece by piece Hunk held his teammate firmly, keeping him from exasperating his injuries when he involuntarily twitched in pain. He murmured encouragements to try and keep Keith calm, keep him breathing slowly, as Shiro worked to the widest part of the wound, over the shoulder, and onto the small length of cut on Keith's back. 

Finally, Shiro finished. Keith's eyes were screwed shut as he leaned forward, the full weight of his torso in Hunk's hands. 

"Hey." Shiro said quietly, trying to rouse the red paladin. "Keith." He tapped him lightly on his bruised cheek. Keith groaned, but didn't open his eyes. 

Shiro shook his head and looked up at Lance and Hunk. "Damnit." He cursed.  
"He's out. He's exhausted. He _needs_ rest, but who knows when we'll have to fly out again." He ran his left hand through the fringe of his bangs. 

"Well," Lance said, "let's get these bruises treated and then let him sleep as long as we can." He grabbed the last container- the painkiller goop- and he and Shiro gently applied it to every blossoming bruise they could see, and Keith was covered in them.

There were bruises on his jaw, his cheek, and all over his ribs from taking hits, on his forearms where he had blocked blows, and all over his back and shoulders from where he had been thrown around and landed badly. Throughout it all, Keith remained eerily still, eyes closed, breathing deeply.

Shiro smeared the last bit of goop on Keith's temple as Hunk laid him out flat to rest on one of the cots. He had seen where his head had hit the floor when he collapsed in the Marmoran hallway. There was no bruising yet, but Shiro knew it would come. He wiped his now-numb fingers clean on a rag, content in the knowledge that at least the space-goop was working. 

They turned off the lights in the med bay as they left Keith to rest. They didn't know how long they would have before they would be called to defend the universe once more, but every second they could give their teammate to recover, every comfort they could provide, they would do. 

Keith's world was about to change forever, but there, the Paladins of Voltron, swore that his family would not.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know of any errors or theories, I'd love to discuss them with you here or on my Tumblr: silverkleptofox


End file.
